Brazilian child actress Millena Brandão passed away on May 2, 2025, after experiencing 13 heart attacks, as reported by various sources. She was 11 years old.
Brandão, known for her role in the Netflix series “Sintonia” and other Brazilian shows, was taken to Granjaú General Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, on April 30. She was suffering from severe headaches, leg pain, drowsiness, loss of appetite, and frequent fainting.
Her mother, Thays Brandão, stated that Millena experienced several cardiac arrests between her hospital admission and May 1. Initially, doctors suspected dengue fever, but this diagnosis was later dismissed.
Thays informed Brazilian news outlet G1 that the family remains uncertain about the cause of Millena’s death, as doctors have yet to provide a definitive explanation, leaving many questions unanswered.
The health issues started on April 24 when Millena complained of severe headaches and leg pain. After consulting a doctor, they were sent home with pain medication, under the assumption it could be dengue fever, without any tests conducted to verify this.
“She had a headache, but she could walk and talk. The doctor said it was dengue fever, but he didn’t do any tests. He told us to take her back home and give her dipyrone,” Thays told G1.
Millena’s condition worsened rapidly. By April 26, she was unable to walk due to pain. Though the family returned to the hospital, they were again sent home. On April 28, Millena fainted in her bathroom, prompting another hospital visit.
Upon hospital admission, Millena suffered her first cardiac arrest the next morning. Thays described how her daughter’s lips turned purple before medical staff resuscitated her and placed her on a ventilator.
A CT scan revealed a 2-inch mass in Millena’s brain, but Thays mentioned there was no neurologist available to determine whether it was a tumor, cyst, edema, or blood clot. Millena’s condition continued to deteriorate over the following days.
Thays reported that Millena experienced two to three cardiac arrests daily, amounting to 13 during her hospital stay, with no prior history of cardiac issues. On one day, she suffered seven respiratory arrests, with doctors employing both manual resuscitation and defibrillator shocks.
After doctors declared Millena brain dead, her parents chose to remove her from life support. Thays explained that she and her husband felt continuing would only extend their daughter’s suffering.
The Brazilian municipal and state health departments are reportedly investigating potential irregularities in Millena’s medical treatment.
On May 3, Thays posted a tribute to Millena on Instagram, featuring an image of her daughter with angel wings and a gold halo, expressing her longing and cherishing their shared memories.
Millena began her acting career in October 2023 with the Brazilian Television System (SBT) and appeared in “A infância de Romeu e Julieta” (The Childhood of Romeo and Juliet) and “A Caverna Encantada,” alongside her role in Netflix’s “Sintonia.”
By the time of her passing, the young actress had nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, demonstrating her growing recognition in Brazil’s entertainment industry.
The exact cause of Millena’s death remains undetermined, with medical professionals yet to identify what triggered the cardiac arrests leading to her passing.
